NY Giants now have perfect trade-up partner to draft franchise QB

There's a little over a month until the 2024 NFL Draft, and the only lock among the top picks is seemingly Caleb Williams going first overall to the Bears. Slated with the No. 6 overall pick in the first round, the NY Giants are in a tough spot.

The Giants have laid the groundwork to move on from Daniel Jones after next season, but the odds of them landing one of Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels are slim. While J.J. McCarthy's stock has skyrocketed since the end of the college football season, draft experts are split in terms of projecting his potential.

While some view McCarthy as a clear top-10 pick, others consider him a mid-to-late first-round prospect. All that matters is how Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll rate these quarterbacks, but that doesn't change the fact that the No. 6 pick leaves them in no-man's land.

Well, a path has suddenly been cleared for the Giants to trade up after Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort conceded he's happy to shop the No. 4 overall selection.

The NY Giants could trade with the Cardinals for the No. 4 overall pick

"There will be a big neon sign that says 'open' and I don't like it blinking, it messes with my eyes, but we're always going to be listening. I think we'll always have the conversation, we may not get to a point where a deal makes sense, whether it's at [No.] 4 or anywhere we're picking, but we're always going to have the conversation and if it makes sense, if it's attractive to building our team, then it's something that we'll certainly consider no matter where we're at in the draft."

- Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort

The Giants don't have as much flexibility to trade picks after they gave up a second-rounder to acquire Brian Burns from the Panthers. However, Ossenfort's quote should have Schoen's full attention. While most mock drafts have the Patriots taking a quarterback, would anyone be shocked if they took Marvin Harrison Jr.?

Harrison has been widely mocked to Arizona fourth overall. If the Ohio State phenom isn't available, wouldn't it make sense for the Cardinals to trade back and add potentially another first-round or second-round pick? They've committed to Kyler Murray as their QB, so they're not in the market for a gunslinger.

This all hinges on what Schoen is hearing out of New England, but it's not inconceivable that one of Maye or Daniels slips beyond the third pick. The Giants could just stand pat and draft the best WR available, but do fans really expect them to have another top-six pick again next year? Even if they do, the 2025 quarterback class pales in comparison to this year's group.

This might be Schoen and Daboll's best chance to get "their guy" and the Cardinals just gave them a golden opportunity to trade up so they don't have to reach on someone like McCarthy at No. 6 overall or settle for Michael Penix Jr. or Spencer Rattler in the second round.